


Bowtruckles and Kisses

by SlytherinOwl



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cinnamon Roll Newt Scamander, F/M, Fluff, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Newt is a Dork, Post-Movie 1: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Rare Pairings, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 01:56:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20649305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinOwl/pseuds/SlytherinOwl
Summary: Hermione meets Newt for the first time in the Atrium and slowly realises that not only she quite likes him, but he likes her as well. She can appreciate someone taking his time and not rushing, but oh boy, does he take his time.Written for The Fairest of the Rare - Sing Me A Rare: The Soundtracks





	Bowtruckles and Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sing Me a Rare: The Soundtracks.
> 
> Song Prompt – Guy What Takes His Time, Christina Aguilear - Burlesque
> 
> Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this creation.
> 
> Thank you so much for betaing this, lilhawkeye3! <3

The first time she had met him was in the Ministry of Magic. He was waiting for a hearing, as she found out afterwards.

She had literally stumbled over him. He had been on the ground, trying to negotiate with a bowtruckle and she had been reading over her notes for the MLE. So of course, neither had noticed the other and Hermione had fallen right over him.

Saying she was embarrassed would not even have come close to how she felt, especially considering how she had rolled onto her back, looked up, and seen a very nice face come into focus.

“Are you alright?” A man with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes asked, his face worried although his eyes never quite met hers.

“Just peachy,” she replied dryly, closing her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, she spotted a bowtruckle on the man’s shoulder.

“You, uhm, you have a bowtruckle sitting on your shoulder?” She asked more than stated, a bit afraid of having given herself a concussion when falling over.

“This is Pickett,” the man replied deadpan, his eyes still not meeting hers.

“Lovely to meet you, Pickett.” Hermione started to pick herself off of the floor now. When she had finished dusting off her clothes, she took a closer look at the man with the bowtruckle.

He was taller than she was – but then again, most people were – and had a distinct air of nervousness around him. The fact that his gaze still could not meet hers was also a bit… peculiar?

Another voice chimed in from the background.

“Newt! They’re ready for you!” Theseus Scamander, a man she had already met several months ago, called.

That meant the man that she had fallen over was apparently Newt Scamander.

She had met him before, only once. He had been an old man then, very charming still, and lived on a secluded piece of land in Dorset. Now he couldn’t be a day over 30 and was quite the specimen, while also being awkward around people, it seemed.

He looked back at her, waved a short goodbye, and wandered off, Pickett in tow.

* * *

But she had not seen the last of him just yet.

Over the next few months they regularly saw each other at the ministry.

She also had become fast friends with his brother Theseus, even though she couldn’t connect the same way with his fiancée Leta no matter how she tried, but was still around their place often for dinner. Newt showed up not a single time.

Hermione liked Newt. He was awkward and shy, but he was so gentle and animated with creatures. His book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was not top-selling yet, but Hermione had still bought a copy for herself – knowing that it was a book she would later go on to study in school – and when she met Newt by chance at the Ministry, she’d shyly asked him to sign it.

He was so startled that he didn’t respond for several long moments, and when Hermione was about to just continue on to her department – she worked in the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, which was how she first met Theseus – he rushed out a shaky “Of course!” and almost ripped the book from her fingers.

He was visibly uncomfortable and still could not hold eye contact with her, but Hermione just smiled at him and told him how much she loved his book and his view on Magical Creatures. When he obviously didn’t know what to say, she just continued on her way.

* * *

He found out about her secret not too long after he signed her book.

Theseus had been trying to speak to her about his future – her past– and Newt had for once actually shown up at Theseus’ place. The silence when they noticed Newt was deafening.

He never asked her about her time travelling and she was not too fond of talking about it.

* * *

It was almost a year after they first met that she realised that she did actually like Newt Scamander a bit more than she’d originally thought.

She very quickly realised that her feelings were probably being reciprocated.

She was used to men trying to get what they want, as easy and quickly as possible. Ron had been a prime example after the war ended. He’d only wanted to get her into his bed and then, when it was over, he could not be bothered with her anymore.

Newt was different from that. For one, he was so shy that it was almost painful to watch. He never would rush into anything, and thus he still had not worked up the nerve to ask her out.

So Hermione decided to take her future into her own hands. While she could wait and wait for him, she had learned the hard way that waiting for certain things in life could mean you would miss out on them. For example, if one travelled in time by accident.

* * *

A year and three months after they first met, Hermione took the initiative.

They had met by chance in the Ministry again, Newt looking as uncomfortable as he always did when he had to walk through these halls.

“Newt?” She called out to him.

He immediately grew more nervous, and it was quite visible. “Yes?” He asked.

“Would you like to go and have a coffee together?” She was nervous as well, asking herself whether she misread the signs.

“I… Uhm… Yes. Yes, I’d like that.” He looked confused, his eyebrows had gone up, but he did not look displeased.

Hermione smiled at him.

* * *

Newt was still quite shy, always afraid of messing something up or driving her off. He was not after a fast-paced romance, he wanted to get to know her.

Hermione was more than fine with this approach.

They went on regular dates for dinner and sometimes even lunch, and they even spent hours upon hours just talking. Newt seemed to enjoy himself during these conversations. They had the same stance about most Magical Creatures, though Hermione noticed that she apparently was quite more traditional in their approach than she herself would have expected. But they were at least able to share interesting discussions this way.

The most contact they have had so far was some simple hand-holding when they almost lost each other in a crowd in Diagon Alley. Nothing more.

Hermione tried to hide her frustration.

* * *

After two months of waiting, Hermione didn’t think she could continue being patient. His slow-paced approach was appealing and even adorable in some cases, but she ached to finally kiss him.

One evening, she stopped by at his house. It was late enough that he would probably already be through with caring for the creatures, and yet no one answered the door. He had invited her around to his place before, so he could introduce her to his companions, so Hermione simply tried to open the door by twisting the handle. It worked.

When she stepped inside, she could hear a low voice pleading from downstairs.

“I know, I know. We can’t continue like this.” Newt sounded almost desperate and Hermione froze.

Was he talking about their relationship?

“It’s just… it’s too difficult.” Now there was frustration mixing with his desperation.

Hermione was about to turn around and leave the house when his voice met her ears again.

“I just don’t know how to approach her? I can’t just walk up to her and kiss her. That’d be way too much, way too soon. But if I don’t do something, I’m sure she’ll have enough of this in time.” His voice was muffled, as though he had his hands in his face.

Hermione had felt her chest filling with a new hope.

She silently walked to where she could hear his voice moments ago, noticing that the answers he got were a high-pitched squeal. Sure enough, when she finally turned the corner, there he was, sitting at a small wooden table. Pickett stood on the tabletop, obviously scolding Newt while Newt had his face in his hands and was looking quite unhappy.

“Newt?” Hermione softly asked.

He had obviously not heard her coming as he jumped at the sound of her voice, then stood awkwardly in front of his chair.

“Hermione. How… how long have you been here?” He didn’t sound angry at all. In fact, he almost sounded afraid.

“For a little while,” she admitted with a nod.

His face coloured red with embarrassment.

“Did you mean it?” She asked, taking a few slow steps in his direction, not wanting to further startle him.

For a second he was quiet, then he nodded. His eyes fixed on hers, then flickered away again. He was standing stock-still.

She took another step, and another, until she stood right in front of him.

“Would it bother you if I kissed you?” She asked, her voice a bit breathy.

Now his eyes did meet hers, and they did not dart away again. Slowly he shook his head. Hermione placed her hands on his cheeks, went on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

His lips were warm and soft, and when Hermione started kissing him in earnest, Newt suddenly put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. His breath was hot on her skin when they broke apart, one of her hands still was on his cheek, the other hand buried in his hair, his hands still on her waist.

“We should do that more often,” Hermione said in a teasing manner, despite the fact that she was not really joking. They definitely should do that more often.

She drove him back a few steps, while their eyes were still fixed on each other, until his knees hit the chair he had sat on earlier. When she continued to push against him, he sat down on the chair, hard. Hermione did not hesitate for a second before she sat on his lap, her legs on both sides of his hip, and her fingers again burying in his hair.

She started kissing him again, and he pulled her closer to his chest, one hand wandering up and down her back, the other buried in her locks. She liked that he had taken his time, that they both didn’t rush, but this had been a long time coming and she would not let go of him for the world.

It was fitting that the witness to Hermione’s and Newt’s first - quite intense - kiss was Pickett, who had sat down on the table and looked just as satisfied with the situation.

Eventually, Hermione and Newt broke apart. She smiled at him, and when he smiled back with his shy yet wonderful smile of his, she rested her forehead against his.

She felt as though she was finally home.


End file.
